Sunday 4 November 2007

no one's child---cafe writing

scrawling nonsense on a back of a torn envelope,
he keeps away from his mother who is busy in the next room.
a gnat lands on him biting hard on his lips.
perplexed at first, the child howls with pain.

barrage of questions start
as soon as his mother arrives to check on him.

his loud cries continue even after the sting is gone.
after a moment’s hesitation, his mother holds him close to her,
soothing his agitated mind.

his bawling subsides.
enticing
him with a piece of chocolate,
his mother retreats again- leaving him to his own devices;
for a night of debauchery with a faceless man.

~tired, the child falls asleep~

10 comments:

  1. wow - very poignant........

    Michele sent me to see what you've been scribbling :-)

    cq

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  2. Oh, I could spend hours here!

    (But not until December)

    I love finding "new to me" blogs through Michele.

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  3. Wow. Brilliant. And, yes, poignant.

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  4. Lovely, Gautami.
    Michele sent me,
    N.

    (Would have been a longer comment, but we're rushing out the door...)

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  5. What a story you've told! I love it.

    Hello, Michele sent me!

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  6. I started wincing at the gnat bite and didn't stop.

    The tone of this is different; nicely done!

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  7. very nice! i could almost see the scene before me. michele says hi! enjoy the rest of your weekend! ;)

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  8. This is wonderful Gautami...The whole story in just a few paragraohs...Beautiufulky said, my dear...I think that is a great gift---to be able to tell us something that is a complete story in so few words...Thank Youy!

    Michele thinks so, too!

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  9. A masterful use of the assigned words - they fit seamlessly into this poem, tells an entire story in just a few carefully chosen stanzas.

    Well done!

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  10. I waited to read this until I had written my version of the Pick Three. Yours is quite strong, but still human.

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